Electric gas-lighter.



No. 854,177. PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.

" E. H. PRYGE.

ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTER. APPLICATION FILED JULY1L1906.

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EDMUND HUGH PRYCE, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTERu Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed July 11,1906. Serial No. 325,677.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND HUGH PRYCE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Yonkers, in the county of l/Vestchester andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectric Gas-Lighters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a device for lighting gas by electricity.

The objects of the invention are to obtain an igniting spark withoutbatteries or an in duction coil; to actuate the vibrator without thenecessity of turning the handle rapidly; to secure compactness; and toobtain simlicity of mechanical construction.

l/Vithout regard to the exact scopes of novelty which are attended to inthe claims, the invention comprises any kind of a handle, a coiledspring adapted to be wound up there by, a gas valve actuated by saidhandle, an alternator, an automatic escapement for permitting saidspring to uncoil rapidly for rotating the armature of the alternator,and an electro-magnetic vibrating circuit-breaker, whose spark contactsand magnet are in series circuit with said alternator.

Figure 1 is a diagram of the electric circuits and of some parts thatare not shown in other figures, besides other parts which are shown in adifferent direction from that in other figures. The elements are intheir nor- Fig. 2 is a section of the principal mechanical elements intheir normal positions. Some parts are not in section. Some of the fieldmagnet is broken away to exhibit the interior thereof. Fig. 3 is anexterior of the general organization. The mechanical parts are coveredby an ornamental casing. F ig. 4 is a front view of the com pleteratchet wheel which is shown in section in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a completeview of a portion of the frame that is shown in central section in Fig.2. Fig. 6 is a different view of what is shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 showsan en larged detail of a portion of the ratchet mechanism not clear inFig. 2.

The device consists specifically of the combination of a main shaft 1, aloose sleeve 2 thereon, a handle 3 fixed to the sleeve 2 by a set screw4, a head 5 on the shaft 1 for preventing the sleeve 2 from slipping offof the l shaft 1, a gas valve operating crank 6, a connecting rod 7oining sald sleeve to said crank 6, a ratchet wheel 8, a set screw 9fastening said wheel to said shaft, spring actuated pawls 1O engagingwith the teeth of said ratchet wheel 8, a helical coiled spring 11,having one end fixed to the shaft 1, a nut 12 having a post 13 to whichthe other end of said spring is fixed, a propelling screw 14 pinned fastto the shaft 1, for feeding said nut longitudinally of said shaft, aflanged sleeve 15 loose on the shaft 1 and between the nut 12 and thestationary frame 16, which is provided with tapering pockets,conveniently formed by tongues 17 bent downward from slots, stop pins 18carried by said nut 12, passing loosely through the flange of theflanged sleeve 15 and extending respectively into said pockets, a gearwheel 19, a set screw 20 fastening said wheel 19 to the flanged sleeve15, a pinion 21 engaged with the wheel 19, an alternator armature 22,and a field magnet 23. The alternator is shown in diagram in Fig. 1 at22. The remaining details comprise a gas pipe 24, a gas tip 25, anelectro magnet 26, an armature therefor 27, a vibrating lever 28carrying the armature 27, and two electric contacts 29 and 30, theformer being carried by the lever 28, said contacts and the magnet 26being in series circuit with the alternator 22. Stationary studs 31 maybe provided in the path of the set screw 4, which may be made longerthan shown in Fig. 2, as seen in Fig. 1 at 4. 32 is a casing forcovering the mechanism.

1 will now describe the operation from the beginning to the end V\ henthe handle 3 is turned to the right, the sleeve 2 is turned with itbecause of the set screw 4, and the connecting rod 7 causes the gasvalve to be opened, and therefore the gas is turned on in advance of thesparking, as will soon appear. The spring pawls 10 turn the ratchetwheel 8 to the right, and also the shaft 1 because of the set screw 9.The shaft 1 winds up the spring 11, for storing power therein, to beliberated afterward for operating the alternator. The continued rotationof the shaft 1 to the right feeds the nut 12 away from the frame 16, andconsequently the pins 18 soon escape from the pockets 17 and thereforethe stored up energy of the spring rapidly rotates the nut 12, theflanged sleeve 18, the gear wheel 19, the pinion 21, and the alternatorarmature 22. The handle 3 may there- I fore be turned with only the samespeed as that for turning on gas in an ordinary gas burner, and yet thealternator will be rotated so rapidly as to generate sufficient voltagefor operating the vibrating circuit interrupter. WVhen the handle 3 isturned to the left, for turning off the gas, the pawls l0 slip over theratchet Wheel teeth without rotating the shaft 1. The device is nowready for repeated operations of the same kind.

I claim as my invention 1. In an. electric gas lighter, the combinationof a handle, a shaft, a loose sleeve on said shaft, and fixed to saidhandle, a gas valve crank, a connecting rod between said crank and saidsleeve, spring actuated pawls carried by said sleeve, a ratchet wheelfixed to said shaft and engaging with said pawls, a power storing springhaving one end connected to said shaft, a nut, a post thereon connectedto the other end of said spring, a stationary frame having slopingpockets, a flanged sleeve loose on said shaft, a gear wheel fixed tosaid flanged sleeve, pins fixed to said nut, passing loosely through theflange of said flanged sleeve and terminating in said pockets, and ascrew fixed on said shaft and engaging with said nut for feeding thesame away from said frame until said pins escape from said pockets.

2. In an electric gas lighter, the combination of a handle, a shaft, aloose sleeve on said shaft, and fixed to said handle, a gas valve crank,a connecting rod between said crank and said sleeve, spring actuatedpawls carried by said sleeve, a ratchet wheel fixed to said shaft andengaging with said pawls, a power storing spring having one endconnected to said shaft, a nut, a post thereon connected to the otherend of said spring, a stationary frame having sloping pockets, atflanged sleeve loose on said shaft, a gear wheel fixed to said flangedsleeve, pins fixed to said nut, passing loosely through the flange ofsaid flanged sleeve and terminating in said pockets, a screw fixed onsaid shaft and engaging with said nut for feeding the same away fromsaid frame until said pins escape from said pockets, an alternatordriven by said gear wheel, a magnet and vibratory contacts in seriescircuit with said alternator, and an armature actuated by said magnetfor opening and closing said contacts.

3. In an electric gas lighter, the combination of an electric generator,a handle, a gas valve, and mechanism by which said handle may beoperated at a slow speed, by which said valve may be opened while thehandle is being operated, and by which said generator is rapidlyactuated only after said valve has been substantially all the wayopened.

4. In an electric gas lighter, the C(Hl'lbllizttion of an electricgenerator, a handle a gas valve, a power storing spring wound up by saidhandle, means actuated by said handle for releasing the power of saidspring to turn said generator, means governed by said handle for turningon the gas, a circuit interrupter and electro magnet in series circuitwith said generator, and an armature for said magnet for opening said.circuit interrupter, a retractile spring being proviced to close saidinterrupter again.

5. In an electric gas lighter, the combination of a handle, a gas valveactuated thereby, a circuit interrupter, a magneto actuated by saidhandle, an electro magnet in. series circuit with said interrupter andsaid magneto, and an armature for said. magnet for breaking the circuitat said interrupter every time said. armature is attracted by said11mgnet.

6. In an electric gas lighter, the combination of a handle, a gas valveactuated. to turn on the gas by said handle when the latter is turned inone direction, and to turn off the gas when said handle is turned in theother direction, a magneto actuated by said handle only when turned inthe first direction, a circuit interrupter, and an electromagneticdevice energized by the current from said magneto for rapidlyandsuccessively opening and closing said interrupter.

EDMUND HUGH Pinter. [t s] IVitnesses LoUIs O. PIPER, VVM. A. KELLY.

